HT Impact: Lapse in medical exam of raped minor angered CM Nitish

An HT report on the lapse in medical examination of a minor allegedly raped by RJD legislator of Nawada, Raj Ballabh Yadav, helped the state rectify the situation, chief minister Nitish Kumar told the Bihar assembly on Saturday.

An HT report on the lapse in medical examination of a minor allegedly raped by RJD legislator of Nawada, Raj Ballabh Yadav, helped the state rectify the situation, chief minister Nitish Kumar told the Bihar assembly on Saturday.

Participating in a debate on Governor Ramnath Kovind’s joint address to the houses on Thursday, Kumar said he pulled up the state administration when he found from the report that despite a mandate to examine rape victims by a board of medical experts, the Nalanda administration had referred the case to a single doctor panel.

“I immediately contacted the IG and DIG central range, the district magistrate, and SP of Nalanda. Having established the fact, I instructed the chief secretary to order a medical exam of the victim by a qualified board immediately, which was done. I was aghast at such a lapse. That is why the Nalanda SP was also removed,” he said.

Kumar said, “Such lapses could not be tolerated since it could lead to a legal advantage to the accused and allow him to get away. I am not the one to tolerate such a lapse and any officer found short on such issues will be punished.”

Top cops admitted that the HT report had forced Kumar to haul up the top echelons of both police and civil administration and take steps to rectify the lapse.